Underneath

5

hunter

Hunter's fingers gripped the passenger seat so tightly that he could see his knuckles turning white. His dad was going 90 miles per hour on the highway while still managing to weave in and out of whichever lane was moving the fastest. Under normal circumstances, Hunter would've been yelling at his dad to slow down but as of right now, he couldn't even think straight. The siren of the ambulance paired with the blazing blue and red lights constantly replayed in his mind. Seeing his grandma strapped to the stretcher in the back of the ambulance looking so lifeless had made his heart lurch painfully into a beating frenzy. The paramedics were able to perform CPR and regain a pulse before sending her to the hospital, but that didn't help to calm his mind -- his anxiety peaked with every minute they spent on the road instead of inside the hospital.

"She's a strong woman," Hunter's father said, exiting the highway and running past a red light. "She'll be fi-."

His dad voice faltered before he could finish his sentence. He did not sound the slightest bit convincing -- if anything, it seemed as though his dad was trying to believe his own words.

The rest of the car ride was silent until they pulled up to the parking lot of the hospital. Hunter leaped out of the car and darted towards the hospital, his dad following closely behind. He ran through the automatic doors and to the front desk.

"Can I see Mia Ellis? We're family." Hunter said breathlessly, fumbling with a pen to sign him and his dad in.

"She's still in the ER. You're free to wait here in the lobby until we call your last name."

"What? How long will it take?"

"It looks like she is in critical condition so I don't know how long it will take. If you'd like, you can wait in the lobby and I'll let you know when you can visit her."

Hunter's dad placed a hand on on his shoulder. Hunter shakily sat down on the leather hospital chair. His dad sat down next to him and placed his hand on top of Hunter's. They didn't exchange words but they both could feel each other's worry and fear.

There were at least fifteen other people waiting. Hunter's stomach shifted uneasily as he saw people with breathing tubes, wheelchairs, and casts come out of the emergency room. Name after name was called and Hunter watched the families follow the nurses. With every name called, Hunter felt his heart beat faster with both anticipation and fear. When was his grandma's name going to be called?

"Hunter!"

Hunter felt a sharp jolt and flew his eyes open. Without realizing it, he had dozed off. His dad was shaking him and he saw that the nurse was looking at them. She made a beckoning motion and walked into the emergency room with Hunter and his dad following closely behind. Hunter felt his stomach knotting up when they arrived to the room.

"She's in here. We were able to get her vitals to stabilize and within normal limits." The nurse opened a limp curtain to reveal his grandma attached to IV's and a heart monitor. "The doctor will be here shortly. In the mean time, just press this button if you guys need anything."

"Mom!" Hunter's dad rushed to his grandma's side and gripped her hand. His grandma's eyes fluttered open and Hunter and his dad both let out a sigh of relief. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel fine, I guess. What happened?"

"I don't know Nana, I just found you lying on the floor and you didn't have a pulse!" Hunter said, holding his grandma's other hand.

A middle-aged man wearing a lab coat with a stethoscope hung loosely around his neck came into the room.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Stone. Mia Ellis had cardiac arrest which is when there is an abrupt loss of heart function. I see here that she has heart disease...who found her?" Hunter pointed to himself. "Your grandma is very lucky that you found her when you did. A couple of minutes after could've led to severe damage in her brain and organs. I'll have to have Ms. Ellis stay for the next two nights before we discharge her just so we can monitor her and make sure everything is stable. If you guys have any further questions, just press the button and the nurse will come. Also, Mr. Ellis if you'd like to discuss the medical cost and anything that would be helpful in treating your mom, follow me outside."

Hunter's dad stood up and followed Dr. Snow outside. Hunter glanced back at his grandma and her eyes had closed again. He lay his head on the crest of her shoulder.

"I promise you Nana, we are not going anywhere."

***

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